CITYSHOWCASE.CO.UK

The Blind Hearts

ArtForm: CityShowcase Act/Composer

The Blind Hearts are a hillbilly rabble of 5 scruffy young guitar pickin, harmony-hollerin, bourbon-swiggin folk-blues-country yokels from London, Manchester, Wales and Japan.
 
It sounds like it'd never work but these boys sing like angels that've just been kicked flying out of the rickety saloon doors of a particularly grubby celestial bar by a tattooed ex-marine called Randy.
 
After spending the summer of 2009 playing rapturously received sets at festivals up and down the UK, including support slots for Alabama 3 and Tim Burgess (The Charlatans), The Blind Hearts disappeared into a London recording studio to record their debut single, and emerged with 2 EPs worth of material, opting initially for a DIY iTunes release on their own imprint RailRoad Records.
 
These boys are seasoned festival & tour performers who’ve also shared bills with the likes of Brakes, Foals, Garth Hudson (The Band), Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze), Idlewild, The Lemonheads and many, many more.
 
Their distinctive yet accessible sound is a rich gumbo of American country, blues, soul and folk elements with the spicy energy of contemporary British guitar bands - as you'd expect from a group of lads who count JJ Cale, Little Feat, Muddy Waters, BB King, Kasabian, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin and The Charlatans amongst their electic list of influences.
 
Singer Andy Gyves' instantly recognisable voice has drawn comparisons with artists as diverse as Richard Ashcroft, PJ Harvey, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Ian Brown and Jim Morrison.
 
His songwriting partnership with Dan Clark, whose stylish guitar picking and harmony vocals intrinsically shape the band's unique sound, is at the heart of the 'Hearts.
 
On the left wing, completing the onstage frontline of a potent 3 striker attack, is Evo Evans, contributing a whirlwind of acoustic strumming and more fine harmony vocals.
 
The boys in the engine room keep it tight at the back - Simon Julian's nimble, Motown influenced bass grooves and J Hirano's muscular yet infectiously danceable drumming ensuring TBH move the feet as well as the hearts of their rapidly growing fanbase.
 
With (Oh Lord and I) Keep On Losing immediately snapped up for a compilation by Midlands based label Horus Music and other offers flooding in, 2010's looking bright for The 'Hearts...

biog as provided for City Showcase 2010